Invalid&#39;s chair



39, 1966 J. c. KINNEY 3,269,768

INVALID'S CHAIR Filed Sept. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN C. KINNEY MINVENTOR.

' ATT'Y Aug. 30, 1966 -J. c KINNEY INVALID'S CHAIR Filed Sept. 14, 19642 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN C. KiNNEY INVENTOR.

ATTY

United States Patent "ice 3,269,768 INVALIDS CHAIR John C. Kinney, 1411SE. 30th Ave., Portland, Oreg. Filed Sept. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 396,299 1Claim. (Cl. 29768) This invention relates to improvements in invalidschairs especially, though not restrictively, designed for use bypatients suffering the after effects of cerebral palsy or otherafllictive consequences.

It is one of the principal objects of my invention to provide a chair ofthe character described with readily adjustable cushioned means foreffectively and comfortably supporting those parts of the occupantsanatomy which are deprived of muscular control and in such a manner thata more or less natural posture can be attained for feeding and otheradministrations.

A further object of the invention is the inclusion of new and novelmeans in the form of a tray for supporting the arms and hands of theuser and of such length and width as to induce reaching forward or fromside to side for attractive articles placed along or toward the outeredge or edges of the tray. A footrest of similar construction is alsoprovided which will comfortably support the feet of the user but willnot interfere with their movement and hence the movement of the legstoward the outer edge or edges of the footrest. A backrest is hingedlylinked to the footrest whereby adjustment of the backrest throughout itsoperative range will impart movement to the footrest and thus impel footmovement.

Since users of the chair are patients afilicted as aforesaid andincapable of manipulating the adjustable instrumentalities of the chair,a still further object of the invention is to provide means withinconvenient reach of a nurse or other attendant for actuating or flexingthe legs of the patient alternately, upwardly and downwardly.

A still further object is the provision of a chair of the characterdescribed which is of simple, efficient, durable, light weightconstruction and so designed that it can be manufactured and sold withina considerably lower price range than any other such equipment I amaware of.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an invalids chair made inaccordance with my invention and with fragments broken away forconvenience of illustration.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective rear elevational view of a backrest.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional detail View taken approxi mately along the line44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail view of pad-adjusting means.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken approximately along the line 66 ofFIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 and on an enlarged scale of amodified form of the invention with fragments broken away andillustrating motor-driven means for imparting alternate swingingmovement to the leg and footrests, for flexing the legs of a user, asabove pointed out.

FIGURE 8 is a wiring diagram.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional elevational view taken approximately along theline 99 of FIGURE 7, and

FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal sectional side elevational view on a reducedscale of a permabulator illustrating the operative incorporation thereinof the modification of FIGURE 7.

3,269,768 Patented August 30, 1966 With continuing reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts, andparticularly FIGURES 1-3 thereof, reference numeral 1 indicatesgenerally one form of embodiment of the invention comprising sidemembers 2 and 3 secured near their bottom end in parallel relation toeach other by a cross member 4 and by a seat 5 secured to both sidemembers by brackets 6.

The side members 2 and 3 are preferably, though not restrictively, madeof solid plywood panels in the interest of economy and lightweightconstruction with their front, rear, top and bottom edges trimmed withfinishing strips 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively. The strips 7-9 add to thepleasing appearance of the chair and strips 10 contribute to itsstability.

A backrest, indicated generally at 12, is hingedly attached near itsbottom end to the rearward edge of the seat 5 by a piano hinge 13. Thebottom end of the backrest is connected by a link to a panel 16swingably suspended from the bottom of the front of the seat 5 bysimilar hinges 17. Adjustably mounted to the panel 16 and extendingforwardly therefrom is a footrest of box-like formation comprising afront wall 20', side walls 2122, and a bottom wall 23. The footrest isvertically adjustable by means of slots 24 and bolted brackets 25.

The backrest is adjustable throughout an operating range as indicated byfull and broken lines in FIGURE 1, and is lockable in any selectedposition therewithin by outwardly spring-urged detents 28 slidablewithin, and normally extending outwardly from, a tubular housing 29secured to the back wall 30 of the backrest 12, in any suitable manner.The detents are normally held in the extended position shown in FIGURE 3by a compression spring 31, interposed between the inner ends of thedetents which are provided with outwardly extending pins or finger grips32, for convenience in retracting the detents when desired fromengagement with openings in both side members 2 and 3. A cross member36, secured to the side members 2 and 3, serves as a limit stop for themaximum backward tilt of the backrest 12 and also contributes to therigidity of the chair.

A tray, indicated generally at 38, is provided with an up-standing rim39 across its front edge and along both of its sides. The tray isadjustably supported upon the top flanges 9 of the side members 2 and 3by depending flanges 41, each of which carries a pin 42 for selectiveengagement with apertures 44 in the top flanges 9 for adjustably lockingthe tray in extended, or retracted, positions relative to the backrest12.

The top of the backrest is provided with a pair of cooperating laterallyspaced apart padded head supports, indicated generally at 45-46, which,as best illustrated in FIGURE 3, are mounted to the backrest forsimultaneous vertical adjustment and individual lateral adjustmentrelative to each other for supporting the head of the user. The headsupport 45 is secured, as at 50, to a forwardly extending end 51 of ametal band 52 bent, as at 53, around its respective side of the backrestthen inwardly, as at 54, and terminates in a reduced inner end or tongportion 55 adjustably engaged within the bifurcated end 57 of a similarband 58 bent, as at 59, around the opposite side of the backrest andterminates on the front surface thereof in a forwardly projectingportion 60 to which is secured, as at 61, the companion headrest 46. Therearward inwardly bent portions of the bands 52 and 58 are provided withelongated slots 64 and 65, respectively, to accommodate locking bolts 66and 67 which extend through vertical slots 68 and 69, respectively, andprovided with heads 71 and wing nuts as shown.

Arranged above the seat at both sides thereof are laterally adjustablepadded supports (see also FIG. 5) carried by angle plates 76 extendingoutwardly through slots 77 in the side members 2 and 3, and each thereatadditionally supported by a flanged nut 78 secured to the side members 2and 3. For convenience in adjusting the pads 75 inwardly or outwardlyrelative to the torso of the user to hold it in an upright position orfor adjustment more to one side than the other into firm, butcomfortable, supporting contact with both sides of the occupant, Iprovide each pad plate 76 with a shaft 79 threaded through the nut 78,swivel connected as at 80 to the angle plate 76 and provided at itsouter end with a hand wheel 81.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that I have provided aninvalids chair of greatly simplified and relatively inexpensiveconstruction, and wherein the back rest and footrest are adjustablesimultaneously into various positions for comfortable repose of theoccupant with very little effort on the part of an attendant.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 9,the side members 2A-3A backrest 12A and its related parts, and the seat5A are the same as their counterparts in the first form of theinvention.

The dominant features of this modification are the two individualfootrests 82 and 83 secured to and extending outwardly from the bottomend of supporting panels 84 and 85 respectively, both hingedly attached,as at 86, to the underside of the forward edge of the seat 5A.

As shown in full lines in FIGURES 7 and 9, both footrests are on acommon horizontal plane.

To provide the means as aforesaid for actuating or fiexing the legs of auser alternately outwardly, inwardly, and upwardly and downwardly, Iprovide a crank shaft 87 journaled at both of its ends, as at 88 and 89in the side members 2A and 3A, respectively, and linked to the panels84-85 by connecting rods 90 and 91.

One end of the crank shaft is provided with a worm wheel 93 at all timesenmeshed with a worm gear 94 secured to the outer end of the shaft 95 ofan electric motor 96 mounted in any suitable manner as by bracket 97 tothe side frame member 3A.

The further modification shown in FIGURE 10 is illustrative of the factthat the seat (5B), leg rests 84A-85A and their related parts, may bereadily applied to a wheel supported perambulator, or the like, whereinmotive power for swinging the leg rests to flex the legs, as aforesaid,is derived from the rear wheels 100 of the vehicle as it is pushed alongby an attendant.

The crack shaft 87A is journaled in bearings, not shown, depending fromthe sides of the vehicle frame 101 and is connected by links 90A and 91Ato the leg rests 84A-85A.

Secured to one end of the crank shaft 87A is a sprocket wheel 103 drivenby a chain 104 entrained over a driving sprocket wheel 105 secured tothe rear axle 106 of the perambulator.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the rate of swingingmovement of both leg rests in FIG- URE 7 will be determined by the speedof the motor 96 regulated by manipulation of the rheostat R (FIG. 8) inelectrical circuit with the motor and a source of current (not shown)through conductors 110-111. In FIGURE 10 the rate of leg rest movementis regulated by the speed of travel of the perambulator through themedium of its driven parts above pointed out.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, 1 amaware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newand desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

An invalids chair comprising in combination,

a vertically disposed frame made of two spaced apart plywood panels,

a seat fixedly secured within the frame and maintaining said panels insaid spaced apart relation,

a brackrest and a foot rest,

means hingedly attaching said backrest to the seat whereby the backrestextends above and below said seat,

cooperating adjustable detent means carried by the backrest and saidframe panels for regulating the angulation of said backrest relative tosaid seat, means hingedly depending said footrest from said seat, meansinterconnecting said backrest and footrest for imparting alternateupward and downward swinging movement to the footrest,

a tray, and

means adjustably mounting said tray forwardly and rearwardly on the topof said frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 101,764 4/1870Poppendieche 297-91 1,344,255 6/ 1920 Beckrnan 272-5 8 2,383,340 8/1945Tezzano 297-71 X 2,638,152 5/1953 Pulsifer 297-410 X 2,642,927 6/1953Rising 297-410 X 2,798,565 7/1957 Rosenthal et a1. -65 3,058,742 10/1962Jaffe 272-58 3,111,181 11/1963 Yatich 180-65 3,112,001 11/1963 Wise180-65 3,112,108 11/1963 Hanke 272-58 FOREIGN PATENTS 360,849 11/1938Italy.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

J. T. McCALL, Assistant Examiner.

